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An online journal about visual art, the urban landscape and design. Mary Louise Schumacher, the Journal Sentinel's art and architecture critic, leads the discussion and a community of writers contribute to the dialogue.

A quick recap of the Parachute Project

Over the weekend, I attended the Parachute Project's second pop-up venture, "The Ballad of Broken Chandeliers" in the former Tower Theater. I so appreciate the aims of the co-organizers of the show, Ella Dwyer, Makeal Flammini and Jes Myszka, to bring attention to neglected buildings and patches of the urban landscape, to create novel environments for exhibiting art and to bring new audiences together. »Read Full Blog Post

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hi. well i attended and will certainly like to throw my frisbee into the ring on this one when time permits (perhaps on the morrow), particularly as it concerns the para-shooters works juxtaposed with your recent writings and pieces, mary-louise, re: the theaster exhibit at MAM, the bravo tv show, some talk about "civility" and the "run the risk of staging what appears to be parties where the art is merely incidental" commentary. o, what the heck -- until then-- dpm

First I would like to say that I hope the Parachute Projects group continues to do more events such as these. I love the idea of one day events that bring abandoned buildings to life and back to the attention of the community. This reminds me of a series of temporary installations that took place in various places throughout Berlin, from art galleries to unused buildings. The Berlin exhibit was unforgettable because of how the art highlighted each site in an especially unique way. While I appreciate the intent and efforts of the Parachute Projects, I feel there is certainly room for improvement. I went early in the evening, and while I am sure that the evening events provided for a more stimulating atmosphere, I was through both buildings within half an hour. I loved the flyer for the event, as well as the 'broken chandelier' at one of the doorways, but beyond that, I was left grasping for a feeling of connection to the event. When I asked for more information about the work of Della Wells, no one seemed to have any information. The art was certainly interesting and thought-provoking, but my attention was not drawn further into the buildings. In fact, I was left wondering why the site had been chosen. I took the back stairs "tour" of the theater itself and was somewhat appalled by the smell and the asbestos sign. Nothing had been done to beguile the viewer and give a sense of the stories and history of the place. I was left oddly uncaptivated.

yeah... the lighting was definitely not ideal to showcase the art, and the work wasn't hung 54" to center either. BUT i think it's important to keep in mind that it wasn't a museum show. it was a one night art show in an amazing space that has been hidden from the public for decades, with the most diverse audience i have seen at a milwaukee art show in years.

events like this are always the most exciting. young artists and curators breathe life into our city and art scene. everyone has fun with shows like this. it's fun to hang the art; promote the show and work your butt off to bring it all together; it's even fun to mop the floors; and it's like a treasure hunt to the adventurous group of folks willing to get off the couch and seek out a unique experience.

feedback is great, and because we all had a great time and respect what these women are doing, we want to push them to "take it to the next level," but if we ask too much, if we demand gallery lighting, and pristine walls... then gallery hours are set and budgets soar... and before you know it, you have grouchy curators sitting in a white box wondering why nobody is showing up anymore.

let's try and embrace the excitement the artists and curators are bringing to this. let's let it be what it is, and have fun with it. cause most of the people i've been excited about the last ten years, have given up on milwaukee and gone elsewhere. let's try and build a culture here that supports the up and coming and embraces their success. it's good for all of us.

Party atmosphere, inconsistent quality control, and poor lighting/hanging conditions are frequently things that happen with DIY art operations like this (especially one-night only events). But if you like to go on the hunt for good art, you never know where you might find some gems. And I think events like this -- all things considered -- are an extremely vital part of a really strong art scene. It's a healthy democracy thing.

How much the art relates to the space is a curatorial decision. I feel that curators can decide to address it or not address it. It's good for shows that just stick pre-existing art into pre-existing buildings to exist, as well as the examples listed above (In:Site, Rust Spot, etc...).

For my personal taste, I like to imagine the art in front of me as the last thing standing on Earth. Then, I ask myself if it still works. I'm less interested in whether it matches the wall, the floor, the other art, or my sofa. I don't have a problem with curators approaching it differently, too - sometimes I even enjoy it. It's a question of indidual things vs. a more collective atmosphere, I guess. No need for a very strict rule.

But if a person prefers the idea of a dialogue between the art and the space it occupies, here's another way to look at it:The art world is a much dirtier, messier, and labyrinth-y thing than a lot of artists who took the "out-of-the-art-school-door/into-the-established-art-world-door" may realize (not necessarily by fault of their own). Even the idea of a busy street running smack through the middle of the show might make some conceptual sense, if you think about it. Populated by passers-by with other things on their mind, paying no attention to the art. I liked this venue, even though the asbestos might've been a little dangerous.

before i finished reading it i was going to say that art receptions in general ARE parties, and after i finished reading your post i stand by this. Especially when there is alcohol, and when it's a one night stand deal so to say. Its hard to put up a challenging show in terms of curatorialship and artwork in one night. Although i did not chose to see the performance that night because of trying to make the show at the green gallery and small space, i do agree that, considering the name "Parachute Project," having at least one installation project that is site specific would be terrific. The way the work was quickly hung did not bother me too much, esp. given the knowledge that it's a one night event. My favorite part was Jerry Pfeil's prints, and perhaps the only thing besides Brenner Beer that i remember leaving an impact on me. The couple glimpses i got of the larger spiritual/psychedelic paintings, although not my thing, seem to fit the church-like space well (top photo). I don't know how they find artists, but an open call focusing on performance/new media art would be great. I agree with Chris Miller, there was definitely a gem at this event (Jerry Pfeil's prints). I hope that the programing and curating gradually gets better, because this is a very good idea for an art event.

I think all public events especially public events that endeavor to create new experiences deserve both criticism and accolades. There is no doubt that the Parachute Project has areas that ultimately must be improved upon. I must question the critiques concerning the lighting, or lack there of, and the way in which the art was hung. I also am left bewildered by the preview of this event questioning why the artwork chosen was not done so to more appropriately match the environment. Before any critiques are made everyone that visited this even must keep in mind several important points. The first is this was the Parachute Projects second show. The second, this group of women are amazing from the standpoint that they are in their early 20’s yet aspire to not only bring art into areas long forgotten by the people who can afford to buy it but also strive to bring much needed attention to parts of Milwaukee that will not get it otherwise. Finally, these shows are done on an extremely tight budget from relative unknowns in the art world. Asking these women to find art that fits a specific environment is a stretch at this point; does this mean they should choose more “conventional” environments for their show, NO. Finding such art requires connections and recognition that they are getting with each show they put on. Their efforts must be applauded and nurtured. Positive criticisms are always important yet to focus on aspects that only the keenest eyed aficionado would catch seems catty at this point in their young and promising careers. I cannot wait for their third show!

Yes, absolutely, Ella Dwyer, Makeal Flammini and Jes Myszka have a truly special concept, have worked very hard and have accomplished a great deal. We would not be having this exchange, and the JS would not have actively encouraged people to go to both one-night-only events via the blog, the paper, Facebook and Twitter, if this weren't so.

And I'm all for experiencing art in unarty, imperfect spaces. Anyone who's read me even casually knows this. We're not talking about the need for fussy lighting and gallery-like hanging here. Consider this simple truth: An artist from LA comes to Milwaukee to show work and the local art critic can't SEE it well enough to respond. In several cases, in the larger space, I could get the sense of the work but it was impossible to give it a good look.

Feedback and critique is a statement of desire -- for something more, for something better. And the sign of a good art community, one that people do not leave, as Mike points out, is the ability to not hold praise and constructive feedback as mutually exclusive endeavors.

As the artist visiting from LA, I was disappointed in the show. Whatever the space, there is a necessity for neutrality in order to feature an artist's work, if it is indeed about the art at all. I gave up the space chosen for me on the big red wall because Dwyer and Pfeil had more and far larger pieces than I. Having over a month to put together this event is plenty of time that this detail alone, among other things should have been considered. Yet my impression was that it was mostly thrown together in the six day period of my stay there and what the show was actually "about" eluded me entirely.

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